Civil Hospital’s Dr Jagdish ‘responsible’ for Dr Furqan’s death

An inquiry report found that Dr Jagdish of Karachi’s Civil Hospital was responsible for the death of Dr Furqan-ul-Haq as he advised to consult some other health facility despite his deteriorating condition.

24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday that the inquiry committee formed by the Sindh government interviewed 14 people during the probe.

Moreover, ventilators were available at the hospital when Dr Furqan contacted the hospital.

Dr Furqan had recently retired from the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases. He died of coronavirus some days back as none of the hospitals admitted him who was earlier in isolation at his home after being tested positive.

The Sindh government had taken serious notice of the tragic death of Dr Furqan and formed the probe committee. A notification, issued by Sindh government, had said that with the approval of the competent authority, a committee had been constituted to investigate the unfortunate incident of the death of Dr Furqan, an ex-radiologist of the Karachi Institute of Heart Disease.

The committee consisted of three members: Fayyaz Ahmed Abbasi, special secretary of the health department as chairman, and Prof Dr Amjad Siraj, principal of the Dow Medical College, Karachi, and Dr Sikander Memon as members.

The committee had to enquire into the circumstances which caused the doctor’s death, and whether SOPs for proper isolation, referral and telemedicine were properly observed or otherwise.

The doctors and the paramedical staff who are fighting the coronavirus on the frontlines are themselves facing difficult situation if anyone of them gets sick with the infection.

A similar case was reported by 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday when PIMS doctor, Dr Sarwat, who was affected by the coronavirus was locked in a room at the hospital in Islamabad that doesn’t have basic amenities.

She said in a video message that one of her colleagues was tested positive for the virus three days ago and she had similar symptoms since then but was summoned for duty despite that.

But on Tuesday, the test report confirmed that the virus had also infected her, she added.

The administration, Dr Sarwat said, had been advised to seal the MCH (Maternal and Child Healthcare) Centre after the first doctor tested positive, but no steps were taken on the subject.

It was the management which forced her to perform duties despite having been infected by the virus, she noted and mentioned that she had been isolated in a room since the morning, which did not even have washroom.

Dr Sarwat revealed that she had requested the administration to shift her to one of the private rooms reserved for the COVID-19 patients.

She could not go to her house to keep her son and father safe, she said while appealing the administration to cooperate and allot a room to her.

A doctor who risks her life for others but the administration cannot give her a room, Dr Sarwat remarked.